Chapter 2: The Final Blade

Sienna’s POV

The phone was still warm in my hand when the bathroom door opened. I didn't have time to put it back. I didn't have time to wipe the shock from my face.

Xavier stepped out, a towel slung low around his waist, but his relaxed posture vanished the second he saw me.

A dark look crossed his face, a mixture of violation and pure, unadulterated rage. He didn't just walk toward me; he stalked, his eyes fixed on the device as if I were holding a weapon.

Before I could breathe a word of explanation, he reached out and wrenched the phone from my grip. His fingers brushed mine, but there was no warmth, only the rough force of his anger. I could feel the way he held himself from hitting me, but even if he did it wouldn't be the first time.

"How dare you?" he hissed, his voice low and vibrating with a threat that made my skin crawl. "Who gave you the right to touch my things, Sienna? Do you have no concept of boundaries? No sense of what isn't yours? You fifthly little witch, so now you also have no manner? Is there anything you do right?"

I stood there, paralyzed. My hands were still shaped as if they were holding the phone. It was a jarring contrast. Just minutes ago, he had been a wall of silence, hiding behind a locked door to deny me even the smallest bit of conversation. He had treated me like a ghost for three years, and now, suddenly, I was a criminal.

In the three years we had been married—and the one year of friendship before that—he had only truly touched me once.

That was the night that had changed everything. The night that had left me pregnant and forced our families to drag us to the altar. Since that night, I had lived in a desert, starving for a look, a word, or a simple hand on my shoulder.

"Why is Vanessa Reed texting you, Xavier?"

I forced the words out. I tried to make them sound strong, like I was a woman demanding respect, but inside, I was a house of cards about to fall apart.

Vanessa Reed. His first love. The girl from the childhood photos he thought I hadn't seen. The woman who had been the shadow over our dinner table every single night for a thousand days.

I knew how much he had loved her. I knew that when she disappeared three years ago, she had taken the only soft part of him with her. Rumor had it his mother had paid her to vanish because she was a "distraction" from the merger our families wanted. I had always thought she was gone for good.

Finding out she was back—and that she was "checking out of a hotel"

"That is absolutely none of your business," Xavier answered. He didn't even look at me as he turned toward his dresser. He dismissed me with the same casual air someone might use to brush a stray hair off their sleeve.

"But I'm your wife," I whispered, the word feeling heavy and wrong in my mouth. "I'm just asking a question. I saw the message, Xavier. I saw what she called you."

He spun around, his eyes flashing like flint. "Are you actually challenging me right now, Sienna?"

I flinched. Xavier’s temper wasn't a secret, but I usually did everything in my power to avoid it. Tonight was supposed to be our anniversary. I had spent the whole day telling myself to ignore his coldness, to just endure it one more time, hoping that eventually, the sheer weight of my patience would win him over. I thought if I stayed quiet enough, I would finally be rewarded with his love.

"I have a right to know," I said, my voice shaking but persistent. "I've been here for three years. I've been loyal. I've protected your name. I'm not rebelling, Xavier, I’m just... I'm drowning."

Xavier let out a harsh, jagged laugh that sounded like glass breaking. "You have rights? You think you earned a seat at the table because I followed my mother’s orders to marry the girl who trapped me?"

The word *trapped* felt like a slap.

"Xavier..." I tried to speak, my voice small and broken.

"Don't," he thundered, stepping closer until he was towering over me. "Don't you dare act like the victim. If it wasn't for your manipulative little games, I would have been married to Vanessa years ago. This marriage? This house? This life? It was never what I wanted. If you hadn't lied about that pregnancy, I wouldn't be bound to a woman who only cares about the Laurent name and the money that comes with it!"

The world stopped.

I stood there, frozen, my lips parted but no sound coming out. A gold-digger? Manipulative?

The memory of our wedding night flashed through my mind. I remembered him looking at me with such pure vitriol and saying, *'I will never love you, Sienna. You’re a shameless woman for trapping me like this.'

At the time, I told myself he was just hurting. I told myself that once he saw how hard I worked to make him happy, he would realize I wasn't the enemy.

I remembered my twentieth birthday. I had finally gathered the courage to tell him I loved him, and he had laughed in my face. I had left the party in tears, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in a hotel bed next to him with no memory of how we got there. Then came the pregnancy.

A baby I had desperately wanted. A baby I had lost in a flurry of blood and grief two years ago while he was away on a business trip.

"You know I was pregnant, Xavier," I said, my voice barely a thread. "I didn't lie. I didn't trap you. I lost our child. How can you say those things to me?"

For three years, I had taken his scorn. I had taken his silence. I thought if I just kept absorbing the pain, he would eventually see the truth of me.

"Do you really think I don't know the truth?" he sneered. "I only married you because your grandmother threatened to pull every single Vale share out of Laurent Enterprises. She had me by the throat, Sienna."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "What? What are you talking about?"

"It means I married you for stability!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the room I had decorated so carefully. "I married you to save my company! And guess what? Laurent Enterprises is thriving.

We’re more powerful than the Vales now. I don’t need the shares, and I certainly don't need you."I had to reach out and grab the bedpost to keep from falling. "I don't understand."

He didn't bother to explain further. He reached into the suitcase he had thrown on the bed and pulled out a thick, white envelope. He didn't hand it to me; he practically threw it at my chest.

My fingers were numb as I caught it.

"Vanessa is back," Xavier said, his voice returning to that terrifying, flat chill. "And I'm going to be with her. I'm done with the obstacles. I’m done with you. The papers are inside. Sign them."

The room began to spin.

"Alimony, property, whatever you want," he added, already moving back toward his dresser to finish dressing. "Just agree to it. Make it easy for once in your life."

I couldn't breathe. I looked at the envelope in my hand.

Every sacrifice I had made,every dinner I ate alone, every night I cried myself to sleep, every time I defended him to his mother—it all meant nothing.

The second the woman he actually wanted whistled, he was ready to toss me into the trash like the lingerie I had just thrown away.

He hadn't even hesitated. There was no regret in his eyes. There was only a sense of relief, as if he were finally shedding a skin he hated wearing.

I looked at his back, the broad shoulders I had wanted to lean on, and I realized I had never been his wife. I had been a hostage, and he had been my jailer. And now, he was simply opening the door because he found a better place to go.

I didn't cry. Not yet. I just stood there, clutching the end of my marriage in a paper envelope, while the man I loved treated my entire life like a business deal he was finally ready to close.

"I'll give you whatever it takes to get you out of my sight," he muttered, not even glancing back.

Chapter 3: Invite

Sienna’s POV

The Laurent family was throwing their annual gala, and as the only daughter-in-law and the wife of the heir, I was expected to play my part. I stood in front of the full-length mirror, smoothing out the red silk gown that flowed down my body like a waterfall.

Xavier had once told me red was my color. Now, looking at my reflection, I wondered if he had said it just to be polite or if it was another hollow compliment meant to keep me quiet. I had chosen this dress specifically, a small, desperate part of me still hoping to catch a flicker of the man I used to know.

A week had passed since he threw those divorce papers at me. A week of living in a house that felt more like a tomb. I still couldn’t bring myself to sign them. I kept telling myself that he was just stressed, that he didn't mean it, that we could still find a way back.

When we reached the entrance of the grand ballroom, Xavier didn't even look at me. He gave a sharp, cold nod and placed his hand on my waist. His touch was heavy but completely empty of warmth.

"Remember the plan," he leaned in and whispered, his breath hot against my ear. "We are the perfect couple tonight. No scenes. No drama. I’m not ready for the world to know our business yet."

It was all a lie. We walked through the doors as a golden couple, but I felt like I was walking to my own execution.

Vivian Laurent, his mother, rushed over to us the moment she saw us. She beamed, looking at me with genuine affection. "Sienna, darling! You look absolutely breathtaking. Xavier, you are a lucky man to have such a beautiful woman by your side." She turned to him, her eyes sharpening slightly. "You’re treating her well, aren't you?"

Xavier forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Of course, Mother."

He hadn't even finished the sentence when the room seemed to go silent. I followed his gaze toward the door and felt my heart drop into my stomach.

Vanessa Reed had arrived.

My hand instinctively pulled away from Xavier’s side. My skin felt like it was peeling .What was she doing here? This was a private family event.

Vanessa walked straight toward us, a confident, predatory smile on her face. Before I could move, she pulled me into a hug, pecking my cheeks with a fake sweetness that turned my blood to ice. I stood there like a statue, refusing to hug her back.

"Sienna," she whispered into my ear, her voice dripping with mockery. "Three years later and he still hasn't learned to love you. Don't you think it’s time to stop embarrassing yourself?

I tried to pull away, but she held on tighter.

"Xavier never forgot me," she hissed, her voice low enough that only I could hear. "The day I landed, he was the one waiting at the airport. We’ve spent every night together since then. We’re already planning a future, Sienna. A real one. With a baby. He doesn't want a family with a girl he was forced to marry."

I shoved her back, my chest heaving. "You're lying," I breathed, trying to keep my voice steady. "He told me he wasn't ready for children. He wouldn't... he wouldn't do that."

But even as the words left my mouth, I remembered the message I saw on his phone. I remembered the way he looked at her photos. The truth was a pill I couldn't bring myself swallow.

"Darling, thank you so much for the invite," Vanessa said loudly, her eyes darting to Xavier before landing back on me with a smirk.

"Invite?" I repeated. I felt the eyes of the guests turning toward us. I was done being the quiet, suffering wife. I was done protecting his secrets while he shredded my heart.

Vivian stepped forward, her face clouded with confusion. "Sienna, you invited this woman?"

Xavier’s gaze cut into me like a knife. It was a silent command. He wanted me to take the fall. He wanted me to lie and say I had welcomed his mistress into our family gala just to save his reputation.

For three years, I had followed his lead. I had been the "good wife" who stayed silent while he treated me like trash. But tonight, the thread finally snapped.

I looked Xavier dead in the eye, my chin tilting up. "I haven't spoken to Vanessa in years," I said, my voice clear and ringing through the sudden silence of the hall. "I have no idea how she even got past the front door."

A wave of shocked whispers erupted around us. Vanessa’s face went pale, her mouth falling open. She hadn't expected me to bite back.

Xavier stiffened, his jaw clenching so hard I thought it might break. The air between us was thick with his rage, but for the first time, I didn't care.

Vivian slammed her hand down on a nearby table, making the champagne glasses rattle. She wasn't just Xavier’s mother; she was the matriarch of the Laurent empire, and she didn't tolerate disrespect. She had been the one to send Vanessa away years ago, and seeing her back was an insult.

"Then what are you doing here, Vanessa?" Vivian shouted, her voice cutting through the room. "Who gave you permission to step foot in this house?"

"I... I was invited," Vanessa stammered, her confidence crumbling. Her eyes flicked desperately to Xavier, pleading for him to step in.

"By who?" Vivian stepped closer, her expression one of pure disgust. "Not by me. Certainly not by Sienna. Get out. Get out right now before I have security drag you out into the street."

Vanessa looked around, seeing the judgment and mockery on every face in the room. She looked at Xavier one last time, waiting for him to save her.

But he didn't. He stood there like a statue, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Vanessa turned and fled, her heels clicking rapidly against the marble as she rushed out of the hall.

I let out a long, shaky breath, thinking the nightmare was over. I thought maybe, just maybe, him staying silent meant he had chosen me.

But then I looked at him.

Xavier wasn't looking at me with regret or apology. He looked at me with pure, burning hatred. Without a single word to his mother or his guests, he shoved his chair aside with a deafening scrape and stormed out after her.

"Xavier!" Vivian yelled, but he didn't stop.

He didn't hesitate. He didn't look back. He chose her. He chose her in front of his family, in front of the world, and in front of the wife who had spent three years bleeding for him.

A sob broke through my throat as I stood there in my red dress,the dress he supposedly liked. I realized then that I wasn't just a fool. I was a ghost chasing a man who had never even been there.

The divorce wasn't just coming. It was already over. I knew right then and there we had been separate since the day we got married, it just took me three years to realize it. The papers were just a formality and I was tired of holding on to a marriage that already failed.

Chapter 4: Time to Be Me Again

Sienna’s POV

It was twenty minutes past midnight, and the house was screaming with silence.

Xavier still wasn't home.

After he had chased Vanessa out of the gala, the atmosphere at the dinner table had become toxic. His mother had tried to force a smile, her face tight with a humiliation she couldn't hide.

His brothers had looked away every time I caught their eyes, and the guests... the guests whispered. I could feel their pity sticking to my skin. I couldn't breathe in that room anymore. I had excused myself, blaming a sudden migraine, though we all knew it was my heart that was failing, not my head.

Now, I was back in our massive, empty mansion, twisting the cool diamond band on my finger until the skin underneath turned red. I was still waiting for him. Even after everything, after the cold words and the divorce papers, a pathetic, desperate part of me was still holding a candle in the wind.

I had loved Xavier since I was a teenager. I had spent three years of marriage trying to prove I was worth more than the shares my grandmother owned. I didn't want to let a girl like Vanessa,a woman who only saw him as a trophy, steal the life I had bled to build.

When the clock struck one, the silence became unbearable. I stood up and started pacing the length of the living room, my heels clicking against the cold marble. My phone was in my hand, the screen glowing. I wanted to call him. I wanted to hear his voice, even if he was yelling at me.

"He's never stayed out all night," I whispered to the empty room. "Maybe something happened. Maybe he’s hurt."

I was making excuses for him again. I was building a bridge for a man who was busy burning the forest on the other side.

Just as I raised the phone to dial, headlights came through the dark curtains, sweeping across the walls like searchlights.

My heart did a leap. I ran to the door like a lost puppy finally hearing its master’s footsteps. I reached for the handle just as the door groaned open.

Xavier stumbled inside.

He smelled like a distillery. His expensive suit was wrinkled, his tie was gone, and the top buttons of his shirt were ripped open. He looked like a man who had spent the last four hours trying to drown himself in a bottle of whiskey.

"You're drunk," I said, stepping forward to catch him before he hit the floor.

"Not... not really," he slurred, letting out a hollow laugh. He kicked his shoes off, nearly tripping over the rug.

I swallowed the bitter taste of anger. I knew why he was like this. He was mourning the fact that his mother had kicked his mistress out. He was probably upset because Vanessa had played the victim, crying in his arms about how mean I had been.

I pushed the jealousy aside. Right now, he was here. He was home.

I slid my arm under his, guiding him toward the stairs. For a fleeting, foolish second, I leaned into him. I missed the smell of his skin, even through the scent of alcohol.

"I can walk, Sienna," he grumbled, but he didn't push me away. He actually leaned into me, his head resting briefly against my shoulder.

"Sure you can," I muttered, my heart aching at the small contact.

We made it to the bedroom, and I eased him down onto the silk sheets. I knelt on the floor to pull off his socks, then stood over him to loosen his collar. Suddenly, his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. He pulled me down toward his chest with a strength that caught me off guard.

I gasped, my hands landing on his shoulders.

His eyes were open now, and they weren't cold. They were soft, hazy, and filled with a look I hadn't seen in years.

"God, you're so pretty," he murmured, his voice thick and rough.

My chest tightened so hard I couldn't breathe. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to scream with joy that he was finally looking at me. But the divorce papers were still sitting in his suitcase. Vanessa was still waiting for him in a hotel room. What was the point of a compliment if it was fueled by whiskey?

"How I love you..." he whispered, his fingers reaching up to stroke a strand of hair behind my ear.

He looked at me in a way that sent a thousand butterflies through my stomach, fluttering against the walls of my ribs.

"Xavier..." .

Before I could say anything else, he pulled my head down. His lips crashed against mine with a hunger that was terrifying and beautiful all at once. I stiffened for a heartbeat, my mind screaming at me to run, to protect myself.

But the deep, starving part of me won. I fell into him.

I clutched his shirt, my fingers tangling in the fabric as he kissed me deeper, his breath hot and smelling of spirits. All the walls I had built over the last week crumbled. Every rejection, every insult, every cold night, it all faded into the background.

I just wanted to be his.

He rolled over, his weight pressing me into the mattress. I didn't think. I didn't question. I just gave in to the heat.

The night blurred into a hazy dream. The clothes we wore were cast aside, scattered across the floor like the ruins of our old life. His touch was needy and rough, as if he were trying to pull the soul out of me. For those hours, I allowed myself to believe. I believed that the man who wanted a divorce had changed his mind. I believed that this was the beginning of our real life.

I held him tight, my eyes closed, refusing to let the reality of the morning in.

But then, the dream turned into a nightmare.

Xavier moved closer to my ear, his voice a low, gravelly moan that should have been for me.

"Nessa..."

The name hit me like a bucket of ice water. The blood drained from my face, and my heart felt like it had been physically torn in half.

Nessa.

I knew that name. It was the nickname he had for Vanessa. He wasn't with me. In his mind, he was with her. He was holding me, but he was loving her.

"I love you so much, nessa," he groaned, his voice filled with a passion he had never shown me.

I went cold. I pulled away from him, my hands shaking so hard I could barely move. He mumbled something in his sleep, reaching out for a body that was no longer there, but I was already out of the bed.

I scrambled for my clothes, pulling them on with trembling fingers. I felt dirty. I felt used. I felt like a substitute in my own marriage.

I ran into the bathroom and locked the door, leaning against the cold tiles I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess, my lips were swollen, and my eyes were red with a pain I couldn't even put into words

.

I was broken. Truly, finally broken.

I didn't cry. The tears wouldn't come. I just stared at the woman in the glass and realized she was a stranger. I had spent three years dying for this man, and he didn't even know my name in the dark.

When the sun began to peek through the bathroom window, I knew what I had to do. The decision wasn't even hard. It was the only way to survive.

I walked back into the bedroom. Xavier was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling. He looked peaceful. He looked like the man I had loved since I was a girl. I watched him for a long minute, memorizing the curve of his jaw and the way his hair fell over his forehead.

Then, I turned toward the closet.

I pulled out the divorce documents.My hand shook as I picked up the pen, but as I touched the tip to the paper, my grip became steady.

I signed my name. *Sienna Vale.* I felt the ink seal my fate. It was the most honest thing I had done in three years.

Next came the ring. I twisted the diamond band off my finger. I placed it gently on top of the signed papers, right in the center of the desk where he would see it the moment he woke up.

I didn't pack much. Just a single suitcase I had prepared the night before, filled with things that were actually mine, things he hadn't bought.

I walked to the door and took one last look at the room. Then, I stepped out into the hallway and down the stairs.

It was time to finally be Sienna again.